Mitsuboshi Colors

Episode 7

The world of Mitsuboshi Colors doesn't need to expand much. Simply staying at the height necessary to interact with our titular trio is enough to provide the level of entertainment this show is going for. However, it has proved to be just ambitious enough at times, and this episode shows why that kind of effort is a solid investment, as we see new examples of how the town and its people regard the Colors.

As usual, this episode is divided into a few vignettes. They lack the clever continuity of the previous episode's stories, but also succeed enough on their own that it's not much of an issue. We start with Yui coming across Kotoha having just gotten out of school. It was never especially clear if the girls were all just hanging out together on weekends or if their adventures took place after school, so this makes it apparent that they really are devoting a lot of their off-time together. It also confirms that Kotoha and Sat-Chan go to the same school, with Yui being the odd one out at a different place. Yui's dependence on the other girls for friendly companionship gets highlighted in an unusually pointed exchange with Kotoha over her possible lack of friends. Yui firing back with Kotoha's lack of game skills does raise the whole thing to come off more harsh than usual for Mitsuboshi Colors, but it never becomes too hostile; these friends are close enough to casually rip on each other now and again, even if Yui does end up reduced to tears by her own meanness.

Sat-Chan's arrival, tasked with trash collection, is what kicks the dynamic back to the more expected style, and the jokes for this show continue to land. Gags about collecting humans because they're trash and then immediately gunning for Saito aren't terribly unexpected from this series at this point, but they're funny nonetheless. They show's self-aware too, with Sat-Chan exclaiming that it's foolhardy to think the girls can actually take something seriously, and the final punchline of them just filling up the bag with trash they took from a public trash can is a brilliant move.

Parts of this trash-collection bit do seem to repeat from the environmental antics of episode two, and that sense of déjà vu is also present in the second bit as the Colors collect nuts in a way reminiscent of the edible plants plotline from last episode. The lead-in is good, however, as they chase a foul smell thinking it's a corpse, leading to more solid jokes that play off their kid logic. There are subtle elements as well, like the little differences in reactions to the ginkgo nuts between Yui and Sat-Chan, that lend this episode plenty of the show's lovable personality. It doesn't really go anywhere, save for the girls once again tormenting Saito at the end, but it's funny enough to carry the middle of the episode.

But as usual, Mitsuboshi Colors saves the best for last. At first it almost seems like too much of a blatant setup to work, with a Halloween story in the middle of February just to put the girls in cute costumes. On top of that, the level of planning they put into the resulting game definitely stretches plausibility. But after all that setup, that stretching of disbelief doesn't really matter, since seeing their little zombie game play out is so much fun. This one does have the air of another retread, constructed similarly to episode two's hide and seek, but instead of focusing on Kotoha and Sat-Chan, the spotlight is wisely on Yui as the ‘hero’ of the game. She's a great choice for this situation, with her easily-distressed personality gelling well with all the zombification papers. Even a split-second of worry over the potential for inappropriate fanservice is turned into a great gag, with poor Yui dutifully running back to the clubhouse so she can strip down (away from the townsfolk and the audience) and shout Kotoha's silly phrase.

There's also a uniquely solid payoff for this story, with Yui's victory at the game showing that the girls were able to provide a fun activity for the locals on Halloween. Logistics aside, that's pretty cool, and the other girls surprising Yui by going trick-or-treating afterward like she wanted is a sweet resolution to the whole thing. Speaking of the rehashed content, this resolution also illustrates the heartwarming camaraderie between these teammates that we first saw in the festival story, but it works much better here. In general, while this episode does have elements in common with the previous ones, it's taking material that may have been weaker initially and putting more confident spins on it. It's a winner for an already charming show.

An intimate and revealing glimpse inside the challenging and sometimes frustrating process of a legend in the twilight of his career - and tonight's your last chance to catch it in theaters!― Animator, director and subject of Never-Ending Man: Hayao Miyazaki, is known for creating worlds of wonder — though not without a lot of blood, sweat and tears in the process. He and his cohorts at the Japanese...

This story about gang warfare where the good guys and the bad guys are just a whisker's width apart is definitely not for the squeamish. Nick and Micchy pick their favorite of these bad boys and discuss what makes Part 5 stand out so violently.― Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind is not for the squeamish, as a story about gang warfare where the good guys and the bad guys are just a whisker's wid...

Trevor Belmont, Sypha Belnades, and the half-vampire Alucard must stop Dracula's apocalyptic war in this thrilling conclusion to Castlevania's first major arc on Netflix. James Beckett has the details.― I enjoyed the first season of Netflix's Castlevania, but its very limited runtime made it feel less like a full season of television and more like a movie that had been broken up into more digestible...

Are you in for some awesome JoJo merchandise this holiday season? Well, with Premium Bandai’s Christmas Sale in full swing, now’s the perfect chance to get some.― Are you a fan of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure? Are you in the market for some high quality JoJo merchandise? Well, with Premium Bandai's Christmas Sale in full swing, now's the perfect chance to get some. If you head over to Premium Bandai, yo...

Our rankings are ready for the first full week of December, just as the Fall season winds down, and it's still a close race between the top shows of the season!― Our team of reviewers are following 27 anime series of the Fall 2018 season and readers are rating each episode as the reviews go up. So let's have a look at what ANN readers consider the best (and worst) of the season. Keep in mind that t...

The Legendary Super Saiyan Broly joins the official Dragon Ball Super canon in this lavish, intense and bare-knuckled re-imagining of the original 1993 film that's currently ruling the box office in Japan!― At this point, Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball franchise hardly needs any introduction. With hundreds upon hundreds of episodes, over a dozen feature films and specials, and fame the world over, you...

Funimation president Gen Fukunaga had some choice words for the way he thinks Netflix will handle Evangelion - does he have a point? Justin considers the possibilities.― Kasra asked: Funimation's president Gen Fukunaga got very salty about Netflix getting Evangelion. It seems like to him and some of fans that Netflix will not do the series justice. But it should be celebrated since well eva is back...

Paul digs into a Lupin III movie with a truly fascinating production history, plus your weekly breakdown of all the newest anime releases!― Before we jump into this week's new anime, I've got a little bit of housekeeping to take care of. I'll be taking next week off, so you won't see a new column on the 24th (don't worry, nothing's coming out that week anyway). We'll be back with a "year in review"...

Dark and at times difficult, this Korean comic looks back at the ways that friends can both save and destroy us. Rebecca Silverman has the details.― Bad Friends, award-winning manhwaga Ancco's English-language debut, is brutal. That's not to say that it's full of violence or horrors, although there is a lot of physical abuse. What makes it so difficult is the combination of clear-eyed hindsight and ...